From My Seat: Leicester City (FA Cup)

Have no expectations and you won't be disappointed. January is also a difficult window to bring players in.

http://www.fullmatchesandshows.com/2017/01/07/Everton-vs-leicester-city-highlights-2/

I think Koeman is right to demand we get some players in quickly but think he should have a look at what he is achieving with the squad; not a lot I admit, but to expect an 18-year-old lad to do the bulk of the midfield defensive work was a lot to ask of Tom Davies.

Cleverley should have been used at some point of the game and Gareth taken off after we had scored, his legs have gone, he struggled throughout the match.

No team can have THREE players in the side who pull out of fifty fifty balls, Deulofeu, Barkley and Mirallas and to add insult to their performances they all gave silly petty fouls away enabling Leicester to waste time taking the resultant free kicks.

Like you, Ken, I'll be back next week for more, it will be a long job getting Everton to where we want to be but, with Mr Moshiri running things, we will eventually get there.

Thanks for your report; as usual, spot on.

I feel Koeman thinks he was offered a far bigger budget than the amounts now being talked about and he's making his point. We fans tend to talk about an extra 㿞 million as a bagatelle, a gentleman on Radio Merseyside when I was driving home said 㿞 million's not enough. What is? We could have billions and pair Ronaldo and Messi up front, but it's fantasy world.

I like one quote of Ken's in particular, "However, I do wonder if our manager could not have been expected to get more out of the players he inherited. I understand he has a preferred way of playing but could he not have adjusted it a little to find a way with what he has got?"

Exactly! The art of management in any field is to get the best out of your workforce, not just long for a dream team. If Koeman spends big and it works, well and good, as long as it doesn't incur excessive debt, but if it doesn't work under this manager, do we get a new one and give him too an unlimited pot?

Moshiri's funds are finite not infinite and we need a new ground and a new business plan which are very expensive. I just wonder what Koeman was promised and what he expects.

Rightly or wrongly Ron has decided it is his way or nothing and has persisted in playing a pressing game unsuited to all but 2 or 3 of the squad rather than adapt the style to the players. I think this is wrong but he clearly wants to reshape the squad so it can play the way he wants and he doesn't look like he will compromise.

Looks to me like we are at an important point of his tenure and it reminds me a bit of HK2 and Joe Royle where the board refused to back them in the market so they quit. Rons anger yesterday appears directed at the haggling over the fee for Schneiderlin which I can understand. His buys so far have been iffy – Gana is excellent, Bolasie unfortunately injured with the jury out, Williams strangely up and down and likewise Stek.

Ron appears to be blaming his underwhelming summer window on a lack of preparation so this one is crucial. Will the board back him to the extent he wants and if they do will he then establish a system of playing which is good to watch and shows some guts and abrasiveness to really stamp some authority over other teams and as much as anything go to Anfield without fear?

Likewise by a few others, that I believe most open-minded Evertonians feel the same way about, with what's going on at the moment.

In the minutes after we scored, the alarm bells were ringing with our team strung out all over the pitch showing a lack of organisation, application and concentration. While the players share some of the blame for that surely the manager cannot escape culpability.

It is his job and that of his coaching team to drill into the players some simple methods for maintaining focus in a game in which they have just taken the lead. We want to hear less from the manager bemoaning the inadequacy of players and see more action to remedy some of the weaknesses.

For the longer term, I am uneasy, we will spend many millions strengthening the squad but still under deliver with a manager who thus far seems to lack the motivational skills of his counterparts in the top six.

At the moment he can to an extent hide behind the lack of ability among his players but once the Board have spent serious money on new signings the pressure will be on Koeman to deliver significant improvement on the pitch. Winning two consecutive matches seems beyond him and the team at present.

“You have good days, bad days, ups and downs. But Everton are still a stable, sensible club.

“They always were and I think that's important with so much at stake these days. If you make too many mistakes it can be disastrous – but they have maintained a good standard. It's still a great club, it's still one of the best. Whether they can marry that with being successful against the big money people I don't know.

Talking about his criteria for picking his teams, Gordon said,

“When I used to pick the team on Friday night, I'd go to bed and know exactly how nine of them would do.

“If I knew how nine players were going to do I'd know I'd have a good chance. If I only had seven I knew about, and four I wasn't sure about, I'd be struggling.

“I'd think ‘Would I like him to marry my daughter?' or ‘If I was in a rowing boat and it was leaking would he save me?

“You'd get an answer to your question. Players like Mickey Lyons … he would dive in and save you. But I look at some of them now and they have so much money, they can do what they want.”

Lee returns to Goodison

Deulofeu was back to his 'first season/best' form, with a move in the offing up goes the effort, most strange.

When The Stek first played he looked the almost the real deal, people marvelled at the bargain, then the form dipped... or was it the effort and level of application that dipped.

2 cases (more, much more, by the looks) of – Not can't, but won't??

I have a lot of time for Lee and what he says about having 9 players committed in any given match echoes something very similar said to me by Billy Bingham a long time ago: that if you had 8 or 9 players of decent talent who were prepared to play for each other then you had the makings of a trophy-winning side.

I suspect the numbers in the present set up don't quite reach that threshold.

I think the incident you refer to was more a misjudgement on Holgate's part rather than pulling out of a 50/50.

Coleman was free to his right. As Holgate and the Leicester player came together it was probably 70/30 in his favour. He gambled on being able to dink it away and free Coleman rather than going full blooded into the tackle. Unfortunately he made the wrong choice and lost the tackle.

I think his general lack of effectiveness as an attacking option was more the reason he was replaced and it was a good call.

Replacing Barkley at 2-1 was much more difficult to comprehend given that the game was passing Barry by.

Your palpable dismay at the performance or lack of mirrors that of a growing Blues army and Koeman expressed as much himself. What concerns me is his oft stated Incomprehension of why things are amiss. He is paid handsomely to deal with such matters.

Also of concern is his complete dependence upon the incoming of very expensive signings. If those signings are not forthcoming, what then?

Thanks also to Patrick and the link to the Gordon Lee story. He makes some good observations about sending out teams knowing what you are going to get out of 'x' number of players and how that determines what you are likely to get out of the game.

As Tony @ 11 observed, "I suspect the numbers in the present set up don't quite reach that threshold."

Never nice to have all cup interest for the season done and dusted in January.

Derek, That incident caused quite a stir around me. My take on it was that it was not quite 50-50, Holgate would have being going for a ball that wasn't his. I think he just didn't want to sell himself by diving in.

I didn't notice Koeman's reaction, but having a half-time drink, My lads mate said he wasn't happy and didn't think we would be seeing him in the second half.

You get paid very well ,much more than the average punter. How about putting in a full shift, I know it must be hard running around for ninety minutes kicking a ball but...

You lot make politicians look honest.

I'm looking forward to an almost total clearout and replacements that at least look like they give a fuck.

Holgate was sacrificed to prove his point about the U23s and will likely never be seen again as he gets Moshiri to 'do a Villa'by blowing a fortune on unknowns and other clubs' failures without realising the real problem is the managers he employs.

Trouble ahead, I fear, however much is spent in the window!

"Holgate was sacrificed to prove his point about the U23s and will likely never be seen again."

Out of interest Phil, do you genuinely believe some of the things you post, or do you just write them to get a reaction?

Yes, we need new players – many new players – but I would expect Koeman to be getting a little more out of the squad he inherited, and be astute enough to tweak the style to do that. On the other hand, while we all tend to agree that we've looked pretty shite all season, we are still 7th... which ain't bad considering how much we've all slagged off the team?

Whatever our feelings, I think it's pretty clear (and correct) that Koeman is going to be given at least another year and two more transfer windows before the board start assessing where we are.

For Lukaku's goal, Osman was interrupted in his assessment of how important a new ground would be. For the equalizer, he was going on about Moyes and, for the winner, his worst loss, 4-0 across the park but it wasn't his fault as he only came on as sub.

Which brings me to my point. In your report, Ken, you refer to Deulofeu as "reverting to the frustrated over-playing man". It was mentioned on radio that Leicester brought on Fuchs to double mark as Chilwell(?) was getting a roasting off Geri. Was that the case?

He had no trouble outpacing his markers; it was what he did next that infuriated. When he kept it simple, we scored. When he didn't, we lost the chance.

"Jay, the proof of the pudding etc etc."

So, it is your categoric belief that as long as Koeman is at the club, Holgate will never again be selected for the 1st team and similarly, the current crop of U-23 players will also never pull on the royal blue jersey for the 1st team?

Thanks for clearing that up.

Let's revisit this at the end of the season and see if you are correct on the times the likes of Holgate, Davies and Calvert-Lewin (amongst others) are selected by Koeman.

This lot are not a team but a bunch of individuals who don't seem to care very much at all.

It is traditional to say WTF Osman.

There is something quite reassuring about Leon getting stick on a matchday thread even after he's retired.

When rich clubs are at home to minnows, they shouldn't be covered live on TV en masse should they? Surely the reigning champions would expect to be covered? Anyhow, good luck to the Foxes and shame on the media for ignoring them, regardless of how good or bad their form has generally been this season.

I don't know what goes on in some Blues heads, the lad I go the game with never could admit Ossie had a good game but then he wanted us to sign Kenwyn Jones some years back and now he's on about Wilfred Zaha.

I guess that's what we Blues do, he doesn't rate Besic either and I love the guy so we do well to stay out of the A & E most weeks.

After every game on this forum, it's either "all duck" or "no dinner".

I think the fact that Williams is pulling heavier caravans every time we see him, Funes Mori's decision-making and distribution is still lamentable, and Jags seems to have fallen off a cliff will ensure Holgate will play again.

I'm still wondering why he was substituted yesterday; Williams knows the counter attacks are coming, but seems unable to do anything about it. Funes Mori's feet are quick enough, but his brain is miles behind.

the heart of our defence is a dream for counter-attacking teams. How can we possibly play a pressing game when we are in deep shit the minute they leave a bit of grass behind them?

The better team won fairly easily and had at least six players who would start for us every week. Holgate's performance made it no surprise at all that he was substituted at half-time, whether or not he bottled that tackle.

We've made a big mistake with Williams and Funes Mori isn't up to it. And it's hard to think of anything positive to date that can be put down to the fact that Koeman is our manager.

Feels to me that too many of them are simply not as good as people maybe thought or think they are themselves.

It's been said a million times and will be said another million but a big clearout is needed over this and the summer windows.

Koeman's job is to get the best out of the present squad, not constantly moan at the the quality of the players he inherited.

Not St Luke's... The one at Sandringham.

We need Kenwright and Elstone out of the club and hopefully replaced by hard nosed tough businessmen preferably hand-picked by the Russian guy who pulls Moshis puppet strings.

That then needs to be followed by recruiting some players who are winners and actually give a shit. Too many words for too many years and zero action.

A great impression of Moyes or worse with his dull and primitive football. He must go, and now is the ideal time to bring in a bright positive manager who has half a season to get this club moving in the right direction and ready for next season.

I thought we'd reverted to 4 at the back before shipping the 2 goals.

Howe would be my pick, but I don't think he's the high profile manager Moshiri would go for, neither would Unsy.

Peter, I've seen nothing since so guess Holgate being taken off might have been a precaution.

Premier League Manager of the Month: September 2014, January 2015, January 2016.

Obviously punched above his weight off the pitch.

Koeman inherited the lazee-boy attitude inspired by Martinez. As I've said previously, only wholesale change of players will get rid of the rotten attitude.

The Board are rubbish & nothing nowadays changes my mind on this, with or without our new muscle – especially along with Coronation Street Bill, get rid please– how can you possibly tolerate this obvious charlatan as a business person???

COYB - please?